Demolition drive in Uttar Pradesh targets madrasa, Muslim-owned shops
Lucknow: Authorities in BJP-ruled Indian state of Uttar Pradesh carried out a demolition drive in Bahraich district, removing a madrasa and several shops owned by Muslims amid heavy police deployment.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the actions were taken on Friday under the pretext of encroachments. A joint team of the revenue department and police administration reached the Ghisauna market area in Singhpur village of Payagpur tehsil and removed the structures.
Officials claimed that a madrasa, shops and tin sheds were allegedly built on Gram Sabha land near a mosque in the village and had been in place for several years.
During the operation, bulldozers demolished the madrasa and about a dozen shops, while some structures were dismantled separately. Authorities said the action followed an order issued after a legal dispute over the land.
The demolition drive is part of a wider administrative campaign in Bahraich district, which borders Nepal. Officials claim that 495 unrecognised madrasas have been identified in the district, with some already sealed or shut due to lack of required documents.
In a separate incident in Aligarh’s Tappal area, tensions erupted after a JCB machine was used to carve out a path through cemetery land on Noorpur Road. Local residents said several graves and part of a boundary wall were damaged during the digging, sparking protests from people arriving for Friday prayers.
Observers and human rights activists say such actions reflect a pattern of targeting Muslim properties under various pretexts especially in BJP-ruled states. They say that while Muslim-owned structures are frequently demolished, similar action is rarely taken against properties belonging to Hindus.
